Chapter 40: An Inexplicable Sense of Shame

"Slap!"

Song Yue covered her face once again, her expression turning serious. That was the fifth time; she decided she couldn't afford to go easy on him anymore.

Song Yue's purpose in playing this game with Xu Shujian was simple. Xu Shujian was highly resistant to any intimate contact with her; she couldn't even manage to hold his hand. This game was nothing short of a secondary form of intimacy.

She wanted to lower Xu Shujian's psychological defenses. Since "Old Xu" claimed the former version of himself was dead, she would just pursue him all over again, treating him as a brand-new Xu Shujian and taking it one step at a time.

Surprisingly, she found herself quite enjoying it.

Xu Shujian was in high spirits and reached out again. "You won't get angry, will you?"

Song Yue smiled. "No..."

Before she could finish her sentence, Xu Shujian moved. "Peacock flies southeast!"

"Slap!"

Song Yue raised an eyebrow. "You’re playing too dirty."

"Can't handle losing?"

"Go again!"

...

Five minutes later, Song Yue covered her face with both hands, feeling somewhat deflated.

Xu Shujian’s strikes didn't actually hurt, but the frequency was relentless. He seemed to know exactly when her focus would drift or how to distract her. Either she would turn her head in the direction he pointed, or she would fail to react in time. Regardless, failing to react still counted as a loss, and she would have to take the hit.

Xu Shujian lowered his hand and picked up the phone he had placed on the table. "I'm done. It’s no fun just hitting you over and over."

"No way! Again!"

"You're too terrible at this."

"You're the one who's terrible. It's impossible to react to this kind of thing. If you don't believe me, let's switch."

Xu Shujian thought for a moment, then put his phone back down. "Fine, you go."

Song Yue wore a mischievous smile. "Here I go. Peacock... peacock flies southeast!"

She paused for a beat, then mimicked the strategy Xu Shujian had used earlier, concentrating quickly before blurting it out. Her hand gesture was wide and dramatic. Song Yue remembered clearly that she had intended to look up, but halfway through the motion of lifting her head, she couldn't help but turn her head to follow Xu Shujian’s hand again.

However, in the next second, Song Yue’s expression froze. She had pointed to the left, but Xu Shujian was looking down.

Xu Shujian looked up at her with a "look at that" expression.

I gave you a chance, but you couldn't seize it. Who can you blame?

Song Yue was completely deflated. She reached out and rubbed her face. "Forget it, I'm not playing anymore. This is really infuriating."

After saying this, she pulled her chair to the side, distancing herself from Xu Shujian.

Xu Shujian chuckled with a hint of triumph, then turned around, sat up straight, and began tapping away on his phone again.

Twenty minutes later, Xu Shujian frowned slightly and looked around.

Is it too eerily quiet?

When Zhuo Hui was here earlier, these people didn't act like nothing was going on.

Xu Shujian scrolled through his phone. Are they plotting something big?

Can the works I've prepared really carry the heat generated by this group of "monsters and ghosts"?

Xu Shujian was comparing and reviewing, questioning whether the works he prepared were more effective or if their previous antics were the real driver.

Xu Shujian felt a bit of concern, especially after looking up some of the works; the worry became more pronounced because he thought of Yu Hui.

When Zhuo Hui was present earlier, Yu Hui was very provocative. He seemed to have truly found himself, becoming a complete hell-raiser.

When Zhuo Hui tried to analyze Yu Hui’s problems, Yu Hui retorted directly. His attitude was that he knew he had issues, but he was the only one allowed to admit it; if anyone else criticized him, he would snap back at them.

Zhuo Hui didn't lose her composure. She welcomed Yu Hui’s attitude because she believed that was the purpose of her being there.

But Xu Shujian was having second thoughts now. Yu Hui’s prickliness and Pan Yun’s absurd state were both eye-catching.

Yu Hui dared to snap at anyone—would the production team capitalize on that? Once Pan Yun felt uncomfortable, she would activate a "super defense" mode and enter a state of awkward laughter. Although she wouldn't attack others, her behavior treated Chen Linye like he didn't exist.

Xu Shujian now suspected that the song "He Doesn't Love Me" might actually be fueling Yu Hui. Under the production team's editing, they would surely frame it as Yu Hui undergoing a qualitative change only after he sang that song.

Will the focus of the popularity land on the work, or on Yu Hui?

Xu Shujian looked around the villa again. He actually felt a bit of empathy for Zhang Qidong. Clearly, Zhang Qidong shared this concern; otherwise, he wouldn't be constantly trying to draw attention to himself.

He had originally been encouraging Yu Hui to challenge the troublemakers, but now it felt like he was lifting a rock only to drop it on his own feet.

Xu Shujian felt that he couldn't rely solely on his work to record this show. If he couldn't suppress this group, it was highly likely that the works he produced would become stepping stones for them to attract traffic instead.

Xu Shujian glanced at Song Yue, who was still rubbing her face. After a divorce, he couldn't afford to end up worse off. If he went to such great lengths to leave her, only to end up less successful than he was as "Song Yue's husband," he would be the laughingstock of the circle.

...

Song Yue was indeed still rubbing her face, not because of the pain, but because of a more shameful sensation.

Logically, having been hit at least twenty times—on the face, no less—and being told she was "terrible" by Old Xu, she should at least be a little angry, right?

The problem was that she really wasn't angry. She even, from the bottom of her heart, didn't want the game to end!

For Song Yue, who always held herself to strict standards, this was truly shameful.

She had pulled her chair away specifically so Xu Shujian wouldn't notice her strange state.

Has it been too long since I’ve had this kind of intimate contact between a man and a woman? Or does the current Old Xu possess traits that are extremely attractive to me?

How terrifying!

Song Yue turned her head to look at Xu Shujian. As she watched, her pupils slowly lost focus, and her face grew redder and redder.

A breeze blew by, and Song Yue shuddered. She immediately stood up and walked into the house without saying a word.

Hearing the movement, Xu Shujian glanced at Song Yue as she hurried inside. He said nothing, then stretched, feeling rather content.

Xu Shujian felt that even if Song Yue wasn't angry, she was at least frustrated, which was a good thing. No matter what she was thinking, as long as she didn't reject the divorce, it was fine.

Even if she was playing a game of "advancing by retreating," he would just go along with it. If you dare to retreat, I dare to press you. No matter how many thoughts you have in your head, you can’t handle being frustrated constantly, right? When the time comes, even if you’re reluctant, you’ll have to get a divorce.

Xu Shujian sat in the courtyard until four in the afternoon. There was still no movement from inside the house, so he stood up.

The large living room was empty. Xu Shujian glanced upstairs; were they all up there?

He didn't bother with them and headed straight to the kitchen.

I'll be polite first, then resort to force. I'll take care of dinner for you all first.

He had kept two fish when selling the catch that morning, and there were two potatoes and two cucumbers left.

Xu Shujian looked around. This kitchen wasn't lacking in seasonings; as long as there were ingredients, he could cook.

In his previous life, Xu Shujian was very familiar with the kitchen. Early on, his songs were hits, but he wasn't famous himself. However, those hits earned him a decent amount of money, and he was eventually scouted by a record company for an art director position. By contributing his technical skills and the copyrights to his old songs, he managed to make a leap in social class.

He spent a long time working behind the scenes, launching many newcomers while maintaining a relatively independent lifestyle.

He prepped the vegetables, turned on the stove, and poured a generous amount of oil into the wok.

Once the oil was hot, he added the fish. After cleaning the two fish, there was probably over three pounds of meat. Xu Shujian calculated everyone's appetite, and with the rice and instant noodles, it would definitely be enough.

He fried the fish until the color changed, then set it aside, followed by the sliced potatoes.

Yuecheng’s potatoes were famous nationwide—each one weighed over a pound and had a yellow heart. He filled two large bowls with the slices; the portion was very generous.

Half an hour later, Xu Shujian emerged from the kitchen carrying a large iron platter.

The golden-fried fish was still sizzling with oil, surrounded by a ring of potatoes and cucumbers that complemented each other perfectly. It looked absolutely appetizing.